


We'll wait

by CMDAK



Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, But he's not hit or anything like that, M/M, Protective Alec Trevelyan, Protective James Bond, Q is much too nice with the man for his own good
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-28
Updated: 2015-06-28
Packaged: 2018-04-06 16:43:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4229253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CMDAK/pseuds/CMDAK
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Q was not antisocial. He has a (jealous) boyfriend to prove it and he also hangs out with his favorite agents.</p><p>Fixed by the darling and super cool Bubbletrix <3</p>
            </blockquote>





	We'll wait

**Author's Note:**

> It was supposed to be some of the three nursing someone who suffered from a hangover, but it turned into this. I apologize.  
> Beta'd by the super awesome Bubbletrix

Contrary to popular belief, Q was not a workaholic. There were days when he clocked out on time, if all was well with his agents and he had triple checked any incoming information. But, more often than not, he had to work long hours in order to make sure his gadgets were field-ready, or to assist a double-oh agent in a big enough mess.

 

If anyone was to blame for him spending much more time at work than in his own bloody apartment, it was MI6. It also didn’t help that they had good tea, showers that had hot water 24/7, and a security night shift that always knew where to order the best food from. Also, someone ensured that every office had the most comfortable sofas in the world. Although the sofa in the Q-Branch testing space appeared two months after Q was promoted to Quartermaster. It was put there by 007 himself and it just so happened to be the softest thing Q had ever slept on.

 

He was also not antisocial; he simply preferred the company of his blueprints, computers, and books over loud people in crowded, smelly bars. Proof of that were his daily lunches with his minions, which they took in a nice little restaurant that had a lovely private garden, only minutes away from headquarters.

 

Then there were the rumours that he was a robot. Which got twisted to him being a cyborg after he burnt his hand. He had been too busy yelling at bloody 006 to put the still-very-unstable acid cufflinks down to notice how close his hand was to the heated blade he was using. As his skin touched the hot blade, he'd yelled and the agent entered panic mode – which Q didn't think possible since double oh-agents, especially 006 and 007, never did that – and ended up running with him in his arms to Medical, embarrassing him in front of everyone and trailing blood all over MI6 because (surprise!) Alec Trevelyan had no idea where Medical was.

 

After that, the agent trailed after him like a puppy for a fortnight, insisting on taking him to and from work, sending gifts to his apartment and constantly grabbing his wounded hand and kissing his fingers, muttering apologies in Russian.

 

Worse still was that James Bond started to do the same thing after the first week, claiming that he was there only to make sure that Alec's apologies weren't exaggerated and that he didn't cross his boundaries. But Bond never stopped him. He even admitted to helping Alec buy the gifts for Q and he was always touching and rearranging Q's clothes. The extra attention didn’t go down well with the young quartermaster’s boyfriend, a blond man six years his senior named Adam. And that was Q's ultimate evidence that he wasn’t antisocial in the least; he shared his life with someone for whom he cared for in a romantic way.

 

True, the relationship wasn’t the best one, but they were both to blame for it. If, at first, the man had found Q’s quiet nature and avoidance to talk about his job endearing, he grew to resent those things about him. He kept pushing the young quartermaster to talk about his job, asking for more information, and every time they went out somewhere it was always a noisy pub or club, getting angry when Q left first.

 

He also hated the men that seemed to hover around Q, accusing him of cheating on him when he went overboard with the alcohol. But when James and Alec started to be a constant presence around their apartment and outings, Adam didn’t need beer or whiskey to question Q’s loyalty.

 

“Don’t tell me you’re not sleeping with at least one of them because I know they're both your type!” He’d start to shout the moment the front door closed after the two. “The way they brush against you, tapping your nose and holding your hands as if they are made of crystal. It disgusts me. No simple co-worker does that!”

 

But Q would simply open his laptop and do his best to ignore him, focusing on a side project or testing various firewalls, waiting for Adam to tire himself out. Later Adam would crawl into bed, apologizing and saying how he does trust him, just not the men around him.

 

And when Q started to go out to the type of bars he claimed to hate with the two, Adam went insane. If he wasn’t sleeping with them, why was he going to noisy places with them? Why did he come back from said places with a big smile on his face instead of the usual sour face he had when they returned home? No, they must be going to a hotel to fuck. That was the only explanation.

 

It didn’t matter that Q explained they were straight because Adam apparently had a sixth sense that told him otherwise. Although the two were double-oh agents, and didn’t care about gender all that much. Missions required them to sleep with men and there were rumours that the two really did share everything with each other, their bodies and bed included.

So Q decided to invite Adam to the outings, to let him see how the two agents picked up women faster than he could finish his first beer, hoping that it would put an end to his jealousy. But that plan backfired when Alec almost beat Adam to a bloody pulp during their first outing due to the fact that he grabbed Q’s shoulder and shook him because the young man let Alec brush his bangs out of his eyes.

 

During their second outing, he got on James’ nerves and almost caused him to smash his head against the table because the man slapped a cocktail he had bought Q from his hands, demanding that he was never to meet with either of them again.

 

Q snapped when he heard the last thing. 

 

“I don’t know what gave you the impression that I would ever allow you to dictate to me who I can and cannot see, but if you do it again, we are done.” He'd rested a shaky hand on top of James’ arm and the agent instantly focused on him, momentarily losing all interest in smashing Adam’s face.

 

“Does he hit you?” James asked in a low and calm voice after Alec had grabbed the back of Adam’s head and pushed him into the bathroom to help him wake up. “When I am on the field, I see so many who…”

 

“Do you really think I would stay with him if he raised a hand against me?” Q interrupted, taking James’ glass and drinking from it. “I’m just angry because he promised that he wouldn’t do anything like this tonight.”

 

James took Q’s hands in his, gently rubbing his thumb over his knuckles. “They always promise not to do it again, but they always do. Q, you deserve so much better. Why do you still put up with him?”

 

He never got the answer because Alec returned with an apologetic Adam. The man insisted on paying for everything, helped the waitress clean up his mess and even gave her a huge tip at the end of the night. James was sure the Alec had pushed the man against a few walls to talk some sense into him, and Q suspected it, but neither said a thing.

 

Adam went to his own apartment that night and James and Alec pretended to be so tired that they fell asleep on Q’s sofa after they dropped him off. The young man carefully draped a blanket over the two men, ran his hands through their hair and whispered his thanks.

 

As usual, the following morning Q was bombarded with all sorts of apology texts and calls, the day ending with Adam on his knees in front of him, swearing that he would never do anything to upset him again.

 

“This is your last chance,” Q said slowly and this time he meant it.

 

The next and final incident happened when both agents were on their way back from a mission. Bill had managed to get three tickets to a show which he knew Q had been meaning to go see, as thanks for installing a security system in his house, but Adam thought that the two were sleeping together.

 

That was the last straw and Q just snapped. 

 

"I've put up with your paranoid babblings and accusations for long enough, Adam. As of this second, we are over and don't even try to put your hands on me because it will not work."

 

The man tried to argue back, but Q wouldn't let him get a word in and when he tried to get physical, the driver that came with Tanner grabbed Adam by the scruff of his neck and threw him into a taxi.

 

Q spent the rest of the night going through everything in his house, bagging Adam's things and trying to keep himself from crying. Ending a four-year relationship wasn't an easy thing, even if Q realized that it was more toxic than good for him, and the feeling of emptiness only increased when he finally crawled into the bed that was much too large for a single person.

 

Maybe he should become an antisocial workaholic cyborg and focus only on taking care of his agents and minions. Or he might start asking two certain double-oh agents how to have a one-night stand without getting attached, because it had become obvious that being the MI6 Quartermaster made it impossible for him to have a normal, lasting relationship.

 

***

 

“Quartermaster, I got you something to eat from your favourite restaurant and I really hope that you’ll fight me on this so I can feed you myself!” Alec shouted on top of his lungs as he kicked open the door to Q's office, both hands full with bags of take-away boxes, and his best smile in place. "And after you finish eating, I’ll accidentally trip on your power cord and then you’ll have to come celebrate the fact that Madrid is still standing with me and James.”

 

Q cursed his bad luck and tried to make sure the man did not see his puffy eyes. While his minions were good at pretending they didn't notice that something was wrong with him, this particular agent was not known for dropping a subject even when ordered. 

 

“Thank you for the food and invitation, but I am afraid that I have a lot of work to do tonight,” he said in his best busy-quartermaster-go-away voice.

 

A pity he forgot that Alec took that voice as a challenge. 

 

“Okay fine, your boring boyfriend can come along as well. But if he comments again on James and I buying you drinks, I’ll challenge him to arm wrestling and I will not hold back.”

 

Something on Q's face made him stop. Alec leaned over the desk and grabbed Q’s shoulders, pulling him close to his face just to be sure that he wasn’t seeing things and yes, the man looked like he had been bawling his eyes out. “Quartermaster, are you…”

 

Alec was interrupted by Q’s personal phone going off and he didn’t like the fact that the man turned his chair around to read his text. He snuck closer, daring to take a peek over his shoulder, and outright tried to grab the phone when he saw that Q was being insulted.

 

But Q was faster and threw his phone in a drawer, almost catching the agent’s fingers in it when he shut it. 

 

“I am too tired to put up with you right now so I'll just tell you. Adam and I broke up.” Inhale, exhale and don’t start crying in front of the agent who needs to respect and sometimes fear you. “Now will you kindly get out of my bloody office and leave me alone?”

 

Of course that did not calm the agent down at all. He feared that Adam had turned violent and hurt the man whose entire power and defensive abilities lay in his brilliant mind and amazing gadgets. 

 

“Q, did anything bad happen? Did he hit you?” Alec felt a cold anger taking over him. “He hit you didn’t he? He did and you’re ashamed to show me because an MI6 superior is supposed to be flawless and he marred your skin with a bruise!” He gently cupped Q’s face and pulled his glasses off, licking his thumb before running it down his face to see if the man was wearing any sort of concealer.

 

Q squeaked and tried to struggle, ending up in a bear hug while the man continued to be disgusting by licking his face. 

 

“I will make sure that every electronic thing you touch will blow up and that all of your cards are maxed out for the next five years if you do not put me down this instant!” The quartermaster shrieked and the agent obeyed, starting to unbutton his shirt so he could use it as a towel.

 

“You can’t blame me for wanting to be sure, Q.” He gave the man his glasses back, rubbing the back of his neck when he met Q’s glare. ”And it’s not that I think you can’t defend yourself, but he might have still gotten a few punches in.” Alec was ignoring that Q had started to hit his chest to get him to let go of him – simply because he didn’t feel any pain from them. The man really didn’t have any force at all.

 

“I am not some pathetic fool who needs saving, agent. If I am in a situation in which I can be hurt, I get myself out of it.” He felt the urge to scream and punch something, but instead he ended up pressed against Alec’s chest, large hands carefully moving up and down his back. “He did not hurt me physically,” he muttered, trying to move away.

 

“But mentally he did. He upset you, made you cry and it is my duty to hunt him down and make him pay for it.” He tried to reach in his back pocket for his phone to text James, but Q was faster, ending up with his hands plastered against Alec’s ass. “James will be pissed off if he’s left out of this since he’s been meaning to pull Adam's teeth out since day one and I’ll sleep on the sofa again,” the agent whined.

 

So the rumours were true, very interesting, but not what he was supposed to focus on. 

“Alec, it is against MI6 regulation for a superior to use an agent outside of official business and it is still not your business. Now act your bloody age and promise that you will not text Bond about this!”

 

Of course that was the exact moment Eve let herself in Q’s office, face dropping almost as fast as the stack of papers she had in her hands. A quartermaster with a red face and eyes, messier hair than usual, glasses askew, in the arms of a half-naked, deadly agent that had announced his interest for Q at top of his lungs, was not a good sight.

 

“Would you believe me if I were to tell you that I’m not sexually harassing him?”

 

“He really isn’t,” Q added, trying to get Alec's shirt back on, surprised that he was actually co-operating with him. “He was simply being an immature pest and trying to meddle with things that don’t have anything to do with him or his partner in crime.” He frowned when Alec leaned closer to him and kissed his temple.

 

Eve gathered her papers, trying hard to keep her curiosity in check. She was sure that Alec would crack without any pressure from her anyway and tell her everything she wanted to know. “M wanted to speak to you, Agent Trevelyan.”

 

The agent cringed. They might have not blown up the entire city, but the UK and Russian embassies still got damaged because of them. 

 

"Going to have to cut this short, but I’ll be back at six and we’ll all go out.” He pinched Q’s cheek, the younger man putting both of his hands against the agent’s face to push him away. “And keep in mind that bad things will happen to your gadgets on our next missions if you try to get out from this.”

 

“Bad things always happen to my gadgets when you and Bond are involved,” Q mumbled before looking through his computer for some old projects to keep himself busy, and maybe get to use them as an excuse to spend another night in his office.

 

He ended up getting so frustrated by his phone constantly going off that he put it in the middle of the desk, and glared at it as he ate Alec' take-away. He read text after text which varied from apologetic to accusatory, and denied all the calls in between.

 

“That man is the biggest arsehole I have ever seen and a complete idiot if he thinks that those lame messages will get you back. Even my cheesiest pick-up lines are better than what he wrote in there,” James whispered in Q’s ear, grabbing the phone and pocketing it. “Are you sure you won’t let Alec and I at least break his fingers for stressing you?”

 

“Do I really have to have this conversation with both of you? I am not a maiden in need of rescue and I am more than capable of taking care of this by myself.” With a single keystroke, he could make the man lose everything and have him live in a dumpster, but he liked to believe that he was better than that. “But at least you can admit that you have cheesy pick-up lines.”

 

The agent raised his hands in surrender and chuckled. “Hey, they all work and we get everything done faster with them, so you cannot mock them.” He suddenly turned serious and rested a hand on Q’s shoulder. “Q, you are so much more than just our Quartermaster to us. You are our dear friend who we care about and worry over.”

 

Q could swear that his friend’s hand trembled when it brushed his face and he almost closed his eyes and got lost the sensation. But he moved away before that happened, focusing on his computer screen. “I did not mean to make anyone worry.”

 

“Then put our minds at ease and come drinking with us. In times like this, alcohol really is the solution.” James whispered close to Q’s ear again, running his hands down the man’s back, much like Alec had done earlier.

 

Q sighed and involuntarily relaxed. James was good at his job, but he really wished there’d be a way to forbid him to use his talents on him, even if it was for his own good. “I don’t suppose you’ll believe my threats of hurting you if you don’t leave me alone?”

 

James chuckled. “And pretend like you didn’t put your job on the line countless times to save my ass? I am sorry, but I’m just a simple double-oh agent, not an Oscar-winning actor.” He leaned his head on Q’s shoulder, giving him a pleading look. “Please don’t make me kidnap you, and just walk out of this office out of your own free will.”

 

“Can you really say it’s free will if you’re threatening to kidnap me if I don’t?” But Q turned off his computer and let James drag him out, ending up being sandwiched between the two agents in the backseat of Eve’s BMW.

 

He was happy for the first time to find himself in a noisy club because he couldn't even hear his own thoughts. The alcohol provided by the two agents was also more than welcomed and Q was soon going through that first phase of getting drunk where everything was fine, his bad ideas where sounding like the best ones he ever had, and he was caring less and less about the consequences.

 

And on the subject of his best idea ever, the guy that was leaning on the bar and eyeing him in a vulgar manner seemed beyond perfect for his first one-night stand. He was tall, blond, had a pleasant face and the tight white shirt that revealed a well-toned chest. So when he made a gesture to Q to join him, the young man got up only to get pulled back down on the chair by Alec.

 

“Let me finish this drink and I’ll come with you to the bathroom,” Alec spoke over the music, wrapping his arm around Q to be sure he wouldn’t sneak away. Of course he had seen the other man looking at Q like a hungry wolf would eye a deer, and if anyone was going to have a taste of the young genius that night - and the others that followed - it was going to be him and James.

 

“I was actually hoping to talk with the man at the bar,” Q said, turning to smile at the man again, his face falling when he saw James sitting in his place.

 

“James? Well, if it can’t wait until he comes back, then by all means.” Alec released Q, hiding his huge grin behind his glass. Leave it to James to spot a problem and take care of it beforehand – if only he could do that in the field.

 

“There was… Never mind,” Q sighed in his glass.

 

Q looked around the bar for the man, feeling a bit crushed when he saw him chatting up someone else. He rested his head against the table, sighing when James sat down again and asked him if wanted to switch to water while pushing a glass of beer close to him.

 

"I want to try that bloody drink you keep ordering while you are on missions, actually," Q replied and the man got up to order one for him. Q waited until he was gone before grabbing Alec. "Help me pick someone up."

 

Eve made to say something, but Alec stepped on her foot before she could open her mouth. If Q wanted his help to pick someone up, then it was his duty as a double oh agent to help the drunk Quartermaster. "Your wish is my command, Quartermaster. Just point and I'll be more than glad to help."

 

Q clapped his hands and gave him a quick hug, happy. He started to survey the room, climbing in James' lap when he though he saw someone who was acceptable. James rested his hands on his hips, confused but also happy about it until Alec explained what was going on.

 

"You're really okay with a random stranger sleeping with him?" James hissed, holding Q tighter so he wouldn't bounce off his lap when his interest was caught by someone. "When we talked about Q, you said you wanted more than sex and –"

 

"He asked me to help him pick someone up. Not pick up someone. So I'll just scare the poor sod off." He hit James in the shoulder hard for daring to think him stupid. He might not have been born in the UK, but he had a pretty good grasp of the bloody language.

 

Eve snorted, shaking her head and crossing her arms. "I don't know how the plans you come up with on mission work because this one is horrible." She pointed at Q who was busy signalling the bartender that he wanted five more vodka martinis. "I told you that you should have gone with my idea and wine and dine him instead of beer-ing and martini-ing him."

 

Q suddenly jumped up from James' lap, both hands flying to his mouth. The man realized what was happening and started to push him in the direction of the bathroom while Alec pushed everyone out of their way.

 

James took Q’s glasses away and made sure that the man’s hair didn’t get in his way, carefully rubbing his back. “I think you had a bit too much.” It was more than clear now that they should have listened to Eve. This is how they dealt with problems and Q was not like them, which is why they fell for him in the first place.

 

“I am happy to see that you have a keen sense of observation that doesn’t get affected by large quantities of alcohol, Captain Obvious,” Q managed to say when his body was sure that there was nothing left for him to puke. “This is the last time I follow you advice, Bond. I feel horrible and weak.” He whined pathetically, wanting nothing more than to curl next to the toilet and die, no matter how dirty and disgusting it was.

 

James kissed the top of Q’s head and then helped him to the sink, resting his lips against his ear as Alec washed his face. "We’re going to take you home and take care of you, okay? “

 

Q shook his head hard and almost hit James. “I’m not going to listen to you.” He pushed himself away from the man and lost his balance, but Alec caught him just in time. “Eve can’t drive and, thanks to you two, I can’t walk properly.” He pulled Alec’s face close to him, closing one eye in an attempt to make himself look more menacing. “And I do not mean it in  _that_  way, no matter what Adam always accused me of. I never cheated on him with you two, even if I wanted to.” The world suddenly tilted and he started to fall forwards, Alec catching him before he could hit the ground.

 

“It would seem gravity is against you, love.” Alec whispered, waiting for him to wrap his arms around his neck before picking him up. “Come on, let’s get you off your feet and onto a safe and comfortable bed.”

 

James was the first to walk out, pushing people out of their way and signalling Eve that they were going to go home. By the time they found a cab, Q was snoring lightly against Alec’s chest, clinging to him as if he was his lifeline.

 

***

 

The first thing that Q became aware of was the horrible taste he had in his mouth. The second thing was that his head felt like something was digging its way out of it and the third thing was that he was lying on someone who had well-defined muscles and a few scars, so he should probably pat himself for his drunken choices when it came to one-night stands.

 

He stretched and winced when his head hurt more, trying to curl in on himself only to be stopped by a hand grabbing his foot and another one gently massaging his temple. That made him jump, since there was no possible way for anyone to be tall enough to be able to do that which meant that he was somewhere with at least two people and he definitely didn't remember even talking with one, let alone two.

 

“I’ve read somewhere that a hangover can be cured if you apply pressure on certain parts of the foot,” Alec started to explain, his voice a bit too loud for Q’s liking.

 

A sigh came from above him and even though the hand against his head wouldn’t let him move to see who it was, Q knew beyond a doubt that it was James. “Alec, please don’t try out your nutty ideas on him.” The man sighed and used his nose to turn to a new page from his novel, moving on to massage the centre of Q’s forehead.

 

The extremely nice feeling of waking up like that was replaced by complete and utter horror when Q's mind finally started to work and he realized that he might have slept with two of his agents. And while the two in question had already bedded more than half of MI6 and he liked them more than he would a friend, he had promised himself to keep away from them no matter what.

 

“Q likes my ideas, don’t you?” Alec asked, tickling his foot.

 

That got Q jumping out of the bed and turning himself into a burrito with the covers. "Please tell me that I am reading this whole situation wrong. Please tell me that we didn’t sleep together because I do not want one-night stands with the people I work with." Q pleaded desperately, going blind for a moment because of how fast he had moved and feeling like his brain was turning into liquid.

 

James chuckled, but continued to read his book as if nothing had happened while Alec picked up the man’s glasses off the nightstand and held it just out of his reach. He watched as Q reached for them, breaking into a huge grin the second the slender hand touched their rim, tugging hard on the blanket, knowing that Q would hold on to it as if his life depended on it.

 

Q ended up back on the bed with the agent on top of him, their noses almost touching. “I would like my clothes back and for you to show me the door because this is beyond inappropriate. I think I overstayed my welcome anyway.”

 

James moved in his view, a strange and soft look in his eyes. "We would never have just a one-night stand with you, nor would we sleep with you when you are drunk.” He started to massage Q’s forehead again, the man closing his eyes and sighing in pleasure. “You passed out and we took you to the safest place we could think of which was our house."

 

Alec rested his head on Q’s stomach, subtly trying to get his hands under the covers. “But now that you are awake, I can give you that special massage that – OUCH!” He turned around to glare at James, rubbing the back of his head where he had been hit by the book.

 

Q laughed and grabbed the book turning it around to look at it, his personal phone going off before he could start mocking James for reading a romance novel. His good mood disappeared and he let out a groan, wishing for nothing more than to be able to erase the song he'd set for Adam's number from existence. But that was something even he couldn't do, unless he found a way to track down every CD that it was burned on, be they official or illegal, and crush them.

 

Both agents turned to glare at the phone, Alec’s eyes shifting from the device to the window, giving away his plan. He could easily buy Q a new one and maybe even get him to change his personal number and share it just with him and James. And maybe Eve and Tanner since they considered themselves to be Q’s guardians. And M, because M was Q’s boss and she would get annoyed if she couldn’t get in contact with him.

 

“I officially hate this song from the bottom of my heart,” Q muttered, sticking his head under a pillow and trying to will the phone to stop ringing. Just how hard was it to understand that he never wanted to hear his voice again?

 

James stuck his head under the pillow, next to Q’s, bumping their noses together. 

 

"Can I have a go at him? He’s been calling almost nonstop since last night.”

 

The phone started to ring again and just before Q could answer, Alec threw himself out of the bed, grabbing the phone and answering it before anyone could stop him. “You have reached my Q’s phone and this is the guy you keep calling the scarred bastard in your messages. What do you want?” He dodged James’ kicks and slaps, easily manoeuvring Q under him again to keep him still, phone held away from his ear a bit since Adam was currently busy having a nervous breakdown.

 

“Alec, I’m going to get stuck with him trying to bust down my apartment door if you don’t give me the phone back this instant!” Q fumed from under him, freezing when he felt the man’s lips on his earlobe.

 

“He won’t do that after we’re done with him. Actually, I promise that he’ll end up being afraid of even the Q scrabble tile.” He winked and James jumped him, pushing his head into the mattress and punching him in his side to get him to let go of the phone. 

 

“That’s low, you bloody bastard,” Alec wheezed out, rolling on his side and curling around Q to keep him from trying to get to James.

 

“You’re yelling at the blond twat now, do keep up,” James interrupted Adam’s mad rant, getting out of bed. “And if I ever see my Q look upset again and find out you are to blame, they will not find your body. Do you understand?” His voice left no room for argument and the call was instantly ended, James dumping the phone next to the TV they had in the room before picking up his book again.

 

Alec moved over to make room for James, pulling Q after him before entangling their legs together. Alec hated mornings and when they did have days off, he tried to stay in bed, glued to James's side for as much as possible.

 

James was the exact opposite. He was up before the crack of dawn and if Alec wasn't next to him, he went out jogging. But on the days that they were both at home, he lazed in bed with whatever book he could get his hands on and enjoyed the feeling of a warm, safe body against him as he waited for hunger to win over and wake his lover up.

 

Q tried to wriggle away a few times, but his heart wasn't in it. Mostly because it involved rubbing against Alec and he didn't think the man would let him live it down if he felt his morning state against him, but also because he hadn't felt this good, despite his pounding head, in a long time.

 

He was almost lulled back to sleep by their breathing, telling himself that he was going to stay in bed with them for five more minutes until Alec leaned over and kissed James. That snapped him out of his comfort zone and reminded him that he was currently intruding on two of his friends who obviously needed time to themselves.

 

"Thank you for taking care of me and I am sorry for any trouble that I might have caused while being drunk, but I think it is time for me to go to work now." He tried to tug his legs free, but Alec tightened his hold on him and James moved to rest his head on top of his, moving one arm over his shoulders, lightly squeezing his earlobe.

 

"It's your day off and I bet that you're feeling much too horrible to be going anywhere right now," Alec muttered, rubbing his nose against Q's. "And some of my hangover cures involve the three of us kissing amongst other things."

 

"Or just kissing and nothing else. Or nothing at all, if you don’t want to," James breathed out, biting gently at the tip of Q's ear.

 

"What if I don't want kissing to be involved in my hangover treatment? What if I want to get dressed and go back home and pretend this never happened?" But he was already wrapping his arms around Alec's neck and moving closer to James, eyes fluttering shut. "What will you do then?" He closed the space between Alec and himself, surprised to find out that his lips where much softer than he had expected them to be.

 

The man tasted like vodka and gunpowder, a taste Q found out he enjoyed quite a lot. Alec's fingers dug into his hair and pulled him closer still, deepening the kiss and making it desperate. His tongue brushed against Q’s, shy at first but then hard, demanding.

 

And Q just tilted his head and let him take control, moaning in his mouth when he felt James’ own sinfully soft lips on his collar bone. It was a good thing that he was lying in a bed, he supposed, because his stomach was making all sort of flips and turns and he couldn’t feel his legs anymore.

 

The kiss ended with Alec suckling softly on his lower lip and Q sighed in peaceful happiness, headache forgotten. He grunted when James stopped chewing on his neck, but was happy again when the man started to kiss him just as hungrily as Alec had done. This agent also had the taste of gunpowder, but there was a hint of something spicy mixed with it.

 

When he felt Alec’s tongue starting to swirl around his bellybutton, he jumped and broke the kiss, trying to turn away. 

 

“No, no, I’m sorry, but no,” he breathed out, rubbing his face. “I’m not ready, sorry and I shouldn't have started this. I’ll just go as soon as I get dressed and let you two…” He trailed off and started getting up.

 

Both men moved to let him out of bed, James getting up to lead the man to the bathroom where his clothes were drying while Alec slapped himself for moving too fast. It should have been beyond obvious that Q wasn’t ready for anything and both had agreed to do nothing more than kiss him if he agreed to it.

 

“You puked on them last night so I had to wash them and I don’t think they’re quite dry yet,” James explained in an amused voice, giving Q a bathrobe while the man looked horrified at him, lips trembling. “Don’t worry, Alec didn’t fare any better. He puked not two minutes after you.”

 

That was meant to make Q laugh, but all it did was make him feel more horrible. “I’ll make you as many exploding pens as you want and Agent Trevelyan exploding knives or whatever he wants,” he mumbled, wrapping himself in the much too big bathrobe, getting lost in James’ smell.

 

The man put his fingers under Q’s chin and tilted his head back. “I think we are the ones who are supposed to try to bribe you right now, Q.” He wanted to lean down to kiss the other, letting him hit his chest before catching his hands and deepening the kiss until he kissed back. But this was not a mission and Q was not a target. “We all got lost in the moment and moved faster than we should. We waited for you until now and we can wait even more if you so wish it.”

 

Alec walked up to him, holding a steaming cup of tea, looking apologetic. “We should eat while we wait for your clothes to dry and then we’ll drive you home, if you still want to go home even. But we promise not to do anything you don’t want to do.” He took Q’s hand and kissed the scar that he had caused before giving him the cup. “Kissing is more than okay. Or just existing in the same room without touching at all. Please stay?”

 

Q frowned and thought for a moment. As he currently was, he didn’t trust himself with them, not the other way around. “I will stay until my clothes are dry,” he said, finally looking at them and seeing their crushed expressions. “But I would not be against going out sometimes later to discuss where we stand.”

 

That was more than enough to get them to smile at him again, James grabbing Alec before he could pull Q into a hug. They needed to wait awhile longer. And because it was their precious Q, they would wait as long as the man needed.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are love.


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